In the beer making process, the wine making process and the other processes involving fermenting a beverage, the beverage, whether beer or wine, must go through a prolonged fermentation cycle wherein yeast in the beverage converts sugars into alcohol. The fermentation cycle, as a by-product, generates fermentation gasses. Typically the beverage ferments in a closed vessel. To prevent fermentation gases from building up pressure and rupturing the vessel, an air lock is used to allow fermentation gasses to escape without permitting ambient gasses to enter the vessel.
FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art air lock used for home brewing beer, wine, or other fermenting beverage. The air lock 10 includes a tube 12 that extends into the mouth 14 of the fermentation vessel. A cork or rubber stopper 16 with a hole in the center secures the tube to the vessel mouth 14 such that fermentation gases within the vessel can only escape through the tube. The interior of the tube forms an input manifold 18. The air lock also includes a reservoir 20 for holding a fluid such as water. When the reservoir is filled to a fluid depth in excess of the bottom of a partition 22 separating the interior of the input manifold 18 from ambient air, the fermentation gasses can not pass freely under the partition 22 and into ambient air 24. However, as the fermentation process causes the pressure in the input manifold 18 to increase, the increased pressure causes the fluid level on the input manifold side of the partition 22 to drop to the level of the bottom of the partition and the fermentation gasses then escape into ambient air 24 by passing under the partition 22 and bubbling up through the fluid on the ambient air side of the partition. Because the pressure inside the vessel, and inside the input manifold, is always higher than ambient pressure, no ambient air can ever enter the vessel and contaminate the fermenting beverage. A dust cover 26 that does not seal onto the airlock may be used to reduce the quantity of microscopic airborne particles contaminating the fluid.
The problem associated with fermenting beer, wine, or other beverages using known airlocks is that the fermentation gasses, which contain a high concentration of organic gasses, are putrid. Therefore, when these gasses escape into an enclosed room or other living area, the putrid gasses permeate the entire living area crating a fowl smell. There is a need for an airlock that secures or includes an activated charcoal, or other filter medium, filter cartridge for removing these unpleasant organic gasses.